Chapter 270: Eternal Fame
Friedrich said slowly, his voice measured and thoughtful. "Instead of spending huge sums of money to destroy an ideal country that will not actively threaten us and can even help us share the burden, could we focus on internal affairs first?"
He paused, letting the question settle. "Should we first strengthen ourselves, or rather, ally with the Kingdom of El, and completely eliminate the demon race, this major threat?"
He looked at the emperor with genuine earnestness, his aged eyes searching. "After all, given the national policy of the Kingdom of El, it has no ambition for expansion and cannot actually stop the empire's eventual unification. Is it necessary for us to rush things?"
Leggett listened quietly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest of the throne. The rhythm was agitated, betraying his inner turmoil.
He knew that his teacher's words made sense; from a longer-term perspective, there was indeed no need to take action against the Land of El.
But he was not willing to give up!
Leggett suddenly raised his head, his entire frame tensing with intensity. "Teacher, you are right, but what I want to become is a legend!"
His voice carried an almost desperate passion. "I am like the Holy King Norn, a being sung about by bards for millennia!"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with an undeniable resolve that seemed to fill the chamber. "Norn is remembered for creating the first nation of mankind! And me? No matter how vast the empire's territory may be, in the long river of history, I am nothing more than another powerful dynasty!"
He began to pace, his movements becoming more fervent. "How prosperous the dwarf kingdom once was, yet it was still destroyed. Even the rebuilt dwarf kingdom can no longer recapture the glory of its ancestors. As for the Kingdom of Elves and the legendary Heavenly Kingdom, needless to say, one has been declining and the other has long since disappeared into the annals of history."
He stopped, turning to face Friedrich with blazing eyes. "Therefore, I will surpass him! Surpass that Holy King Norn!"
His voice rose to a crescendo. "I will completely integrate the entire continent into one, creating an unprecedented and vast empire! And the Kingdom of El, the nation built by Norn himself, a symbol of his idealism, must be destroyed by my own hand!"
He clenched his fists, trembling with the intensity of his conviction. "Only in this way can it be proven that my path is correct! My great undertaking is incomplete without this step!"
Leggett's words echoed in the secret chamber, filled with fanatical fervor and an extreme desire for eternal fame.
Friedrich looked at the emperor before him, who was almost consumed by the fire of ambition. He felt something shift within himself, and he knew that everything was beyond redemption.
It seems that His Majesty's plan includes not only the Kingdom of El, but also the Kingdom of Dwarves and the Kingdom of Elves.
That would be an extremely crazy and bloody war.
Either the Southern Unified Empire will become the Continental Unified Empire, becoming the true ruler of this land, and the name of His Majesty will surpass that of the Holy King, becoming a legend forever remembered by future generations of humankind.
Or... the empire collapses, and everything is ultimately just a beautiful dream.
He slowly lowered his eyes, the weight of centuries settling upon his shoulders. He swallowed back all the remaining words of advice, turning them into a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the finality of a death knell.
"I… understand." He bowed deeply, his entire posture submitting to the inevitability. "I will follow Your Majesty's orders. I will go and prepare the relevant magical runes."
Leggett nodded in satisfaction, his expression glowing with triumph. "Thank you for your help, teacher."
...
Meanwhile, at the Continental Magic Association, in the Tower Library.
The mage Carlo was engrossed in a thick ancient book, flipping through it repeatedly. He muttered to himself, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Something's not right, the energy nodes here are incorrect. How did the ancient mages solve the problem of magic dissipation here? And how did Kurtz manage to do it?"
Just then, a gentle voice sounded beside him. "Excuse me, are you Mr. Carlo?"
Carlo looked up somewhat blankly and saw a man in a mage's robe standing in front of him with a badge he had never seen before pinned to his chest. The man smiled warmly, his posture relaxed and unthreatening.
Wait, I think I've seen that badge before?
Carlo's eyes widened slightly as recognition began to dawn. "Oh right! It's a Level 1 Mage badge! I saw a sample when I took the initial exam for the Magic Association."
He pushed his glasses up on his nose, his curiosity overriding his previous concentration. "But when did anyone pass the Level 1 Magician exam? Right now, isn't the highest level Magician the Level 2 Magician?"
Carlo instinctively pushed up his glasses and asked a series of questions in rapid succession. He didn't know this first-level mage, but he didn't think the other party was faking it.
After all, this is the territory of the Magic Association, and Lady Serie is right above them. If anyone were found to be forging documents and impersonating a first-class mage who represents the highest honor of the association, they would have been thrown out long ago.
"I am Ryder." The man introduced himself with a smile, then said with some surprise, his tone carrying genuine curiosity. "You didn't know that the Level 1 Mage assessment was over? The association made a big fuss about it this time; I thought everyone knew."
He chuckled softly, as if amused by the oversight. "After all, it was the association's first Level 1 Mage assessment, and with the benefits promised by Lady Serie, almost all Level 2 Mages participated."
He tilted his head slightly, studying Carlo with interest. "But now it seems that you are the only Level 2 mage who did not participate in the assessment."
Carlo felt his cheeks flush slightly with embarrassment. He set down his book carefully. "Oh, well, I've been researching something lately and haven't been paying much attention to what's going on outside."
He gestured around at the scattered documents and books. "I've spent almost all my time in the library during this period, trying to solve the problem that has troubled me for more than a decade."
"Especially after receiving help from Flamme, I've had a few ideas and was at a crucial stage of my research, completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world."
Ryder smiled knowingly, without the slightest hint of mockery. His expression radiated genuine warmth. "It seems the rumors are true. Mr. Carlo is indeed a seeker of magic who is wholeheartedly devoted to the study of magic."
"What rumor? Am I that famous?" Carlo was completely confused, his eyes widening in surprise.
He shifted in his seat, genuinely bewildered. "If I had become famous in my original city, it would have been understandable. After all, a stubborn, useless mage who had studied magic for over a decade without any results could be considered famous in a certain sense."
He shook his head slowly. "But now that I'm in the Land of El, how could anyone possibly recognize me?"
Ryder's tone was filled with genuine admiration.
His gaze met Carlo's with sincerity. "Yes. Actually, you're quite famous among magicians. After all, it's rare to see someone like you who has focused on a single research topic for over a decade, never giving up even without any results."
Carlo was taken aback. His expression shifted, and he instinctively prepared for mockery. After all, a mage like him who hadn't been able to produce any results in more than ten years and was unwilling to change his research direction was indeed worthy of being ridiculed.
His face flushed with a mixture of anger and defensiveness. Carlo gathered the documents on the table with sharp, deliberate movements and prepared to leave. His voice was stiff. "If there's nothing else, I..."
"Please don't misunderstand!" Ryder quickly waved his hand, stepping forward with obvious sincerity. His entire demeanor shifted to show earnest concern. "I didn't come to mock you. To be honest, I specialize in defensive magic and don't even know any offensive magic. In a way, I've gone to extremes too."
He looked at Carlo with transparent honesty. "So seeing your similar dedication, I simply wanted to get to know you and make friends."
Carlo stopped what he was doing and turned back to face Ryder. He searched the man's eyes carefully. Ryder's eyes were clear and his attitude was sincere, not like he was being sarcastic. The sincerity was undeniable.
Carlo relaxed visibly, his shoulders dropping slightly. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I was being a bit sensitive."
"It's alright," Ryder laughed, the sound warm and uncomplicated. He seemed genuinely unbothered by the misunderstanding. "Speaking of which, I might be leaving the association in a while."
"Leave? Where to?" Carlo asked curiously, tilting his head as this unexpected revelation piqued his interest.
Ryder's expression became more serious, though he maintained his gentle demeanor. There was something in the shift of his posture that suggested the question carried more weight than the casual tone of his earlier words.
[End of Chapter]
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